Daily review 02/08/2021

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, August 2nd, 2021 - 56 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

56 comments on “Daily review 02/08/2021 ”

  1. Robert Guyton 1

    Why Jacinda Ardern sat under a woven mat.

    Breath-taking courage.

    "Last night’s actions are unheard of by a world leader. Her compassion and humility was beautiful to watch…"

    https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/02-08-2021/dawn-raids-ceremony-explained-why-jacinda-ardern-sat-under-a-woven-mat/

  2. pat 2

    There is no doubt the PM does symbolism extremely well….there is value in that.

  3. vto 3

    a safe place for women

    excludes men

    pfft

    ..

    zero

  4. vto 4

    offensive in the extreme

    • The Al1en 4.1

      I don't get how it's "offensive in the extreme". It is what it is.

      I entered the topic, noted it was for women only, and left without reading any of it.

      If it's not meant for men to comment on, it's not for men to comment on. View it as a sort of a no tax without representation thing and go read and participate somewhere else.

      • McFlock 4.1.1

        I had a read of the first one, as allowed in the post. Haven't kept an eye on the latest one. First one seemed to have a bit of a pile-on in the comments.

        Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I have a vague recollection of occasional other posts where comments were restricted to particular groups – vague inkling of a leftie-only post? I think that might have been here?

        Anyway, it's a reasonable way to make sure others can get a word in edge-wise.

        • The Al1en 4.1.1.1

          I guess I can understand feminists wanting a man free zone, though I take your point it's not really conducive to general deliberation and debate, but big boy trousers and all that.
          It doesn't bother me to be maximus offendinatum.

        • weka 4.1.1.2

          Lefties on The Standard, dedicated posts during the last election when we still had lots of righties around and debate was a bit aggro. They were fun discussions

      • vto 4.1.2

        no problem with their own sandpit but the way it has been constructed is offensive .. see other post .. crude and rude

    • Shanreagh 4.2

      Why?

      Is it offensive in the extreme? I can think of many more offensive things, ranging from the homelessness crisis, to the potential for ‘uncut ‘males to expose themselves in formerly women’s and children’s changing rooms.

      • vto 4.2.1

        think white breads who drive past their local brown breads school because 'safe'

        • Shanreagh 4.2.1.1

          ??????

          So nothing on the actual issue. Are you pleased with the advice from SUFW re changes that Govt may be making to the bill? Will this solve the issues/snags/concerns seen by many women about the bill as it stands? What do you think?

          https://thestandard.org.nz/womens-space/
          Weka’s post 11.1

          Or are we going to hark back to the 70s where the next step is for someone to say that women who are concerned have 'no sense of humour'?

          • Anker 4.2.1.1.1

            100% Shanreagh. Or as a fellow commenters did to me a couple of days back, ie. suggested I sounded "unhinged" and "obsessive"

            I asked him if he thought this was possibly gaslighting i.e trying to discredit someone by suggesting they were "unhinged" (crazy). I don't think he has replied as of yet. Maybe someone will suggest valium for me. Just like the 70's.

            • Shanreagh 4.2.1.1.1.1

              Asserting that women have something wrong with them when speaking of or claiming rights has a long long history. Numbers of women were classed as hysterical, in mental health terms, way way back. it was particularly used around the suffragette era but before that for women who wouldn't or coukdn't take their (male) assigned place in society.

              yes it was a shocking example and I am surprised it was/has not been picked up as an ad hominem attack on you given it's long and well-known use to denigrate the arguments of women. Perhaps there is still time?

              • weka

                just had a look at the comments. Tbf to Andre, he would say that to men too. It's his go to on things he feels strongly about. Imo it's a rhetorical device use to undermine people when someone thinks the ideas need to be suppressed (eg anti-vaxxers) – make out there is something wrong with the person, and Andre does have a pretty tongue in that respect.

                Thing about TS is there is a degree to which we have to be thick skinned. We can't moderate every rudeness or ad hom. If it becomes a pattern, or is done in a major way (eg if someone called a woman unhinged for talking about sex based rights under a post about things that impact on women, I'd probably pull them up on it) then it's more likely to get moderated.

                Gaslighting imo would be something more sustained, either lots of comments like that targeting one person, or a detailed comment attacking someone.

                But thanks for raising this. I will keep an eye out to see if there is a pattern emerging of responses to GCF and sex based rights comments. You can always draw my attention to comments too (drop a link in front of me somewhere and ask me to take a look).

                • Anker

                  thanks Weka and Shanreagh. It was a one off from Andre. I dealt with it myself by asking did he think it was possible it was gaslighting (I myself am not sure, but think you are right Weka, it needs to be sustained). I asked him not to refer to my mental health again. I don't know if he has seen it.

                  I am pretty resicillient really. I only mentioned in this forum, because Shanreagh said the thing from the 70's like "can't you women take a joke".

                  But thanks…….

          • weka 4.2.1.1.2

            It's an old argument that we used to hash out here around what sexism is. Vto is saying that having women's space for safety reasons is bigotry against men. In vto's view, sexism is equal sided, just as much against men as women. Saying that women need women's space to be safe from men is offensive to men in the same way that some Pākehā might avoid living in suburbs with lots of Māori or Pasifica people to keep themselves safe. I think that's the gist of it (am mostly guessing, because he didn't actually say).

            He doesn't like the framing of the women's posts. Neither of the women's space posts use the word safety, it does get used in comments. Men are free to talk about whatever they want elsewhere on TS, so vto can have at it, but I would guess he's not explaining what he means because it will induce an argument.

            • vto 4.2.1.1.2.1

              you are welcome to your own sandpit – its got nothing to do with that

              but suggesting people are unsafe solely because they are male is offensive

              • weka

                no-one said that vto.

                • vto

                  que? i certainly read that yesterday eve, though now looking back the reference to 'men' and 'safe' is no longer there. although I do see others who reference the word 'safe' in the comments, implying its previous existence…… .

                  you haven't deleted it have you weka?

                  • weka

                    nope. Link or it didn't happen.

                    • vto

                      well I can't link now as it has disappeared. i dont make things up weka

                    • weka

                      Looks like you misremembered then.

                      I've looked in Trash and the only mention of safe in a comment there is a duplicate of a comment still in the front end.

                      The Women's Space post last edit was on Sunday, a minute within publishing and nothing about safety and men.

                      My suggestion is next time you do two things: link as you go, and explain what you mean as you go. Otherwise it looks like you are making things up.

                    • Incognito []

                      I hazard a guess that vto is thinking of this:

                      … a women’s safe space excludes men …

                      Our memories can play havoc with us.

                    • weka

                      . https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02-08-2021/#comment-1806434

                      Yes, but vto said "but suggesting people are unsafe solely because they are male is offensive"

                      Which isn't what Molly (or anyone) said.

                    • vto

                      acknowledged weka, I do try to play nice with my buttons that are easily pressed, and which most around here are tediously familiar with. They are genuine buttons to me tho – I see so very many men subjugated, oppressed, abused, kicked and punched, and left in the dirt by society, it just tears at me …

                      incognito found the line though, thanks

                      onwards, and best (sincerely) with what you do in the womens space

                    • weka []

                      thanks vto. I understand about the buttons and appreciate your honesty here.

                      I see so very many men subjugated, oppressed, abused, kicked and punched, and left in the dirt by society, it just tears at me

                      This I understand too. Where we differ I think is that I see the shit that men have to deal with in this regard as being primarily caused by a society that puts men in a whole bunch of boxes that cause them harm. The system treats men badly. We may also differ on what the solutions are.

              • Shanreagh

                So you are not going to reply VTO? Substantively? On the issues raised in the proposed amendments to the legislation?

                It would be great if you could frame the concerns of women as you see them (following the good advice in the How to debate thread)

                In the meantime what do you think of the possible amendments foreshadowed by SUFW that I linked to. How do you think that will meet any concerns?

                • vto

                  Shanreagh I wasn't commenting on those issues. You would find however that I am very much on your 'side' on these types of issues. It is only the peripheral issues, such as I did comment on, that get my goat.

                  Happy to exchange views another time

  5. KSaysHi 5

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018806504/disabled-people-in-relationships-paying-for-the-price-of-love

    Oh good. Welfare was meant to support disabled, not leave them guilt ridden or alone for life.

    Checkpoint also approached Social Development and Disability Issues Minister Carmel Sepuloni for comment.

    In a statement she said a range of recommendations had been made regarding income support for disabled people.

    She said work is underway looking at the definition of relationships for disabled and non-disabled beneficiaries.

    More advice will be coming as part of the welfare overhaul programme later in 2021.

  6. weka 6

    A fair amount of nonsense on both sides after Laurel Hubbard’s loss at the Olympics. This was a good explanation of the advantage issue,

    https://twitter.com/scienceofsport/status/1422167625640054784?s=21

    https://twitter.com/scienceofsport/status/1422169346357481473?s=21

    • McFlock 6.1

      So when she wins in a competition,there's a tweet about how transwomen have an amazing advantage over other women. When she doesn't win, now there is a tweet and vid about how she has an outrageous advantage but her "baseline" is weak.

      Seems like whether she wins or loses, she can't win.

      • weka 6.1.1

        obviously for the people that think males shouldn't be in women's sports, it's wrong no matter who wins.

        You linked to a comment where the debate following was an ad hom.

        I'm here for exploring the issues. If people don't want to talk about them, that's fine.

        • McFlock 6.1.1.1

          obviously for the people that think males shouldn't be in women's sports, it's wrong no matter who wins.

          On that, we agree.

      • Molly 6.1.2

        It might be informative for you to actually look and the link first, before you make the prophesied rebuttal. (Made before the event was held BTW).

        Ross Tucker mentions that eight years ago he too was an advocate for the inclusion of transwomen in the women's category in sport. He then went on to be part of a team that investigated the impacts and consequences of a number of conflicts that arise from the three basic principles of sport: well-being, fairness and inclusion.

        It's about 15 minutes long. If you are going to continue to engage, at least have the courtesy to inform yourself so you can dismiss the argument, rather than those making it.

        https://t.co/UXUjeXbAh5?amp=1

        • McFlock 6.1.2.1

          Might surprise you to learn that I did look at the link.

          "Someone found a twitterer who agrees with them" is not particularly persuasive, because there might be fifty people just as qualified (or even moreso) who disagree with that twitterer.

          It just reinforces the poster's conviction.

          • Molly 6.1.2.1.1

            The video link of someone who has worked on panels looking to improve trans inclusion into sports is not only"some twitterer". He outlines how they approached this and why they drew the conclusions they did.

            So, once again, the messenger…

            • McFlock 6.1.2.1.1.1

              Nope, the medium.

              Every discipline has experts with different opinions. Some are generally around a broad consensus. Some are fringe, pushing opinions which the facts don't support or are outright contrary to reality.

              Twitter, like many social media sites, tends towards promoting opinions to which one naturally agrees. My twitter feed, for example, has been almost empty of anything other than positive mentions of Hubbard. Other people's has likely been the opposite.

              So I look for some tweets about Hubbard, but even before I apply my own filters to what I on-share, twitter has already tended to provide me with content that already fits my opinion.

              Is this guy's opinion typical of the experts who make up the rest of the panels he's been on? Or is he an outlier? I don't know. How do you know? How does Weka?

              As research tools go, Twitter simply serves to reinforce pre-existing opinions.

              • Molly

                Jesus, McFlock,

                You haven't independently looked him up past that tweet? That's the first thing I do when someone links. Try it. I usually follow up by trying to find original papers or articles. I wouldn't post or repost links that I didn't think to have some relevance or credibility. That's why I don't post links to Auntie Betty's Instagram.

                So, not the messenger, now the medium… and still not the message.

                • McFlock

                  My comment wasn't about him.

                  My comment was about seeking out links that allegedly support one's position, then seeking out other links when the first ones fall down.

                  ohmahgerd Laurel crushes all her opponents because "male" is now it doesn't matter whether she wins or not because she lost. Contradictory positions each with their own curated twitter expert in support. Should I go looking for Twitterers who agree with me and post that?

                  Twitter schmitter. It's just the latest iteration of the gish gallop – an easy link that might or might not be a thorough and fair reflection of reality, but when that one's dealt with there are a dozen others.

                  • Molly

                    Doubling down, a la Collins.

                    The link is not about Hubbard herself. In fact, your comment makes lie to your claim to have looked at it (unless by looking you meant reading the tweet, not actually watching the video). In which case, disingenuous.

                    We can sit together and moan about the level of fatuous comment on Twitter and social media. But the question here is are you approaching this discussion in good faith?

                    Respect for open dialogue and basic intellectual curiosity should have motivated you to click the link after searching credentials. Then a discussion on content could take place seeking resolution.

                    You spend more time posting while uninformed of the actual (not ascribed) concern arguments, than it would take to discuss them.

                    At this stage, is there any way anyone could raise concerns with you and have them respectfully discussed?

                    • McFlock

                      Well, after the one six weeks ago where I had to look at the partial result sheet from a single event, find a repository of weightlifting results (which I never knew existed), identify the specific event from which those results had been lifted, and then find they were contrary to the rest of Hubbard's record (much closer when in her actual weight range, e.g. the Olympics) which strongly indicated that the twittered snapshot had been cherry-picked… this time I didn't feel like putting in that level of work to look at a tweet that was shared because someone happened to agree with it. I read it, watched it, ignored the appeals to authority, and remained unimpressed. You want me to do a lit review? Nope.

                      I suppose providing a link to something in text that demonstrates the commenter actually did enough to get a feel of the general direction of wider discussion within the specific research community might work. Something other than posting a tweet that was shared with one because the algorithm knew one already agreed with it.

                      You're still missing the point that a sample bias in an evidence review can lead to as many problems as it does in data. And social media, as a source, builds links around a sample bias.

                    • Molly

                      You are determined to not discuss the actual subject.

                      How convenient that a Phd in Sports Science can be dismissed because he uses Twitter.

                      Lit review? No thanks. I have grave concerns about your reading ability and comprehension as it is. Let's leave the possibility I am wrong on the table.

                    • weka

                      "You are determined to not discuss the actual subject."

                      Indeed.

                      There's nothing wrong with twitter as a source so long as one understands how to use twitter as a source. I don't see it too different from TS, echo chamber that it is at times. Someone says something, we still have to assess the usefulness and veracity of it. It's not that hard, so I don't really know what McFlock is on about. And tbh, not going to put much effort in to understanding because while talking about twitter and algorithms and critical thinking would be an interesting convo at another time, here it just feels like a derail.

                      If the tweeps expert in their field on twitter aren't good enough sources, then there's probably not much to be done 😉

                      People can talk about what they want (there's no obligation for McFlock to talk about the issues raised), my links were to discuss the fairness or otherwise of males competing in women's sport so when someone responds to that I'll probably be interested again.

                    • McFlock

                      Because individual doctors can never be wrong, even in their speciality?

                      On occasion. people have posted articles (even peer reviewed articles) or hard data (even partial data, e.g. six weeks ago). Findings of courts and various bodies. That sort of thing I can look at with some hope of learning something.

                      But if you don't get that most social media is designed around handing you stuff and connections that reinforce your beliefs, then you're in the queue for a tinfoil hat. Because sooner or later a preconception that was mildly held and slightly incorrect will be watered, filtered and cultivated into some prize-winning nuts.

                    • weka

                      I understand how social media works, and I think it's possible to take that into account via critical thinking.

                    • McFlock

                      Scammers love people who think they know how the trick is done. It makes things easier.

    • Incognito 6.2

      I don’t get this. Laurel Hubbard qualified for the Olympics and those standards are understandably high as Eliza McCartney can attest, for example, who won Bronze only 5 years ago, but failed to meet the threshold this time.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/300337293/tokyo-olympics-agony-tears-for-eliza-mccartney-olivia-mctaggart-as-games-bid-misfires

      In other words, why would Hubbard’s “base level” be too low!?

      • Nic the NZer 6.2.1

        Its a weird analogy. Base is the athletes performance on the day. Advantage is a basically constant performance boost (usually zero).

        • Molly 6.2.1.1

          You have ascribed meanings to both 'base' and 'advantage', that are not what was described in the link. So I'm guessing you haven't really looked before commenting. Makes your blitheness a dismissal of commenting, rather than content. Becoming a bit of a habit on TS it seems.

  7. Anker 7
    • Thanks Weka. As I said on another post that Laurel, didn’t get very far competing in the men’s category, but made it to the Olympics in the women’s.

    I this Laurel is likely to need a great deal of support after the loss which I hope she gets

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    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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